Pensacola Fishing Report August 2024
Welcome back to Pensacola! Here is a fishing report for August 2024. There have been some changes to the open seasons for a few of Pensacola’s target species. The big news this month is that Red Snapper season is over. Amberjack is now right around the corner starting September 1st and running through the endo of October. However, there is still a lot of action to be had in the Pensacola area.
Inshore
Redfish and trout have been on fire in the Pensacola area. Most action has been in the bays and around docks, particularly at night. If you can, seek out illuminated docks or those with underwater lights. Free line a live shrimp or finger mullet around the edges of the illuminated areas of these docks to get a bite. There have even been reports of some “gator” trout being caught (those are fish over 21 inches). Fishing soft plastics in lieu of live baits is a viable option as well. The same tactics have been good for redfish as well. Another benefit of this type of fishing is less competition from other fishermen and beating the heat with cooler temperatures after dark. The morning trip are worth a shot but get out there early because this years’ record breaking temperatures are causing the bite to shut off earlier than years past. Be sure to book an inshore charter guide to fish the Pensacola area and consider an evening trip.
Nearshore and Offshore
As mentioned in the introduction, Red Snapper season is over, and Amberjack is closed for the area until September. However, triggerfish is now open (until Dec. 31) and there have been plenty of Mingo (vermillion), and black snapper have been plentiful. Offshore trolling has seen a lot of wahoo and mahi being caught earlier this summer and we expect that to continue for at least the next few weeks. Always have a diving trolling lure in the water as you move in between spots. The first week of August has experienced rougher than normal chop and large swells due to spin off from Hurricane Debbie, thus making trolling hit or miss. As Hurricane Debbie makes its way north these trolling conditions are expected to improve as the month progresses, chumming for black snapper has been super productive. Throw out chum and wait until you see these coming up to feed. Then toss two spinning rods with cut bait and allow the line to have some slack and flow with the chum. You will see the fish take you bait, let them run a little bit before reeling as these fish are notoriously finicky eaters. Reportedly, sharks have continued to be more of a problem than in years past. They are taking hooked fish as they are brought up. If you notice this happening a lot, keep on the move to find your spots they might not be at, unless you want to target the sharks themselves.
Beaches and Piers
In the Pensacola area, tarpon, kings and Spanish along the beaches have been moving out further to sea but there are still some stragglers. The good news is there has not been as much grass this summer. Pompano, redfish and whiting have been active in at the edges of the first sandbars. Again, pompano rigs with fish bites or cut shrimp have been productive. You can even try at night when these fish come in closer to shore. King Mackerel and Spanish mackerel have been OK on the piers and there have been plenty of sharks in the area if you want to target those.
